Stepping a one piece mast

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Stepping a one piece mast

Postby redtailseven » Sun May 20, 2012 10:58 pm

My first DSII had a tabernacle, so when I got one with a one piece mast I had to learn some new tricks. Since I usually sail alone, I would put the mast up while still on the trailer. Holding the mast straight up was pretty dicey. Finally, I realized that the problem was that the center of gravity of the mast was about 10 feet above my head. I strapped a weight (about 10 lbs) to the mast a few peet up. This makes the mast heavier, but easier to handle.
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Postby GreenLake » Mon May 21, 2012 3:19 pm

Someone in the long line of POs bequeathed me a sliding mast sleeve. It's a clever little contraption that allows me to step the mast singlehanded and with confidence. I did build an A-frame tripod that would allow anyone to raise the mast, but with my reach and strength I found it easier to skip the tripod. Especially if I sail frequently enough to keep in shape...

Description here
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Sliding mast sleeve

Postby redtailseven » Wed May 23, 2012 10:25 am

The trailer sailor activity here is sparse. I've never seen either one of these devices used. I can picture the sleeve but i think I'missing something. Could you describe these two in a bit more detail?
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Postby GreenLake » Wed May 23, 2012 3:46 pm

Did you read the writeup (link) I posted?

I'd be glad to answer further questions, but I thought what I had posted is fairly detailed already, what with drawing, and the series of photos showing both in use? (look for the links to several photos in the writeup).

It would help if you could be more specific in what aspect of it is not as clear as you would like from reading the description.
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Missed the link

Postby redtailseven » Wed May 23, 2012 6:00 pm

Very sorry, I missed the link. The information is quite clear and I'll probably go with the A-frame.
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Postby GreenLake » Thu May 24, 2012 1:21 am

Glad you found the description. When I wrote it, I had a few seasons of very occasional sailing and a bit of back trouble as well. The A-frame made everything a bit slower, but it does take the load off.

Any effort you can make to allow you to rig/de-rig that frame a bit faster will repay itself in no time. The tackle should be permanently rigged, and the "feet" of the two side legs could be improved to where they fit around the chainplates so a simple pin will hold them (my initial design uses a screw with wing nut, works, but too slow).

As I started going out much more frequently, and with steady crew, it was easier to just push the mast up standing in the cockpit. while it pivoted in the mast sleeve. That does take strength and control, but if I keep in practice, I can do it without injury and if necessary w/o help.

Good luck with this system, I've used the sleeve, conservatively estimated well over 100 times, and the frame perhaps two dozen times.
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Postby scbobk11 » Thu May 24, 2012 8:22 pm

Here's another alternative for solo mast raising/lowering. This one works with a tabernackle.

I built this based on something I saw online called the MastMate Magic http://www.mastmate.com.au/video/mastmate

My version is very stable, allowing one-handed operation even in high winds. Very easy to use. When lowered it supports the mast for trailering.

If there is an interest I will post more pictures and a diagram.

Bob

1302
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Postby Hodmi » Sat Aug 18, 2012 10:57 am

Hi Bob

If there is an interest I will post more pictures and a diagram.


Yes, please.

I've got a '67 Daysailer 1 and may wife and I have been muscling the keel stepped mast. Its only a matter of time before someone makes a wrong step or a gust of wind comes along and someone gets hurt.
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Postby GreenLake » Sat Aug 18, 2012 11:53 am

@hodmi, the solution that Bob has is for raising a two piece mast with a tabernacle. In order to make something like that work for a single-piece keel-stepped mast, you'd need to add a way to "hinge" the mast while it's brought vertical and, once up, be able to drop it down to the keel step.

That's why my boat has a hinged mast sleeve (link). The need to drop the mast, once vertical, is the reason why I couldn't use an A-frame, like Bob, but had to do a tripod. I'm lucky to have the strength and reach to be able to raise the mast with just the hinge by myself, so having the tripod is more of a backup.

The nice thing about a keel-stepped mast is that it is held upright by the cuddy opening while you sort out all the stays.
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Postby jdoorly » Tue Aug 21, 2012 1:23 am

I've been using my mast raising system for a couple years now and I'm so pleased with it I have to chime in on this topic!

I wanted a mast raising/lowering system that:

1 could be used single-handed by a decrepit old man
2 could be used on the trailer or on the water
3 would allow a hinge to be above the boom and mainsail,
4 allow storing the boom and mainsail there
5 didn't have cumbersome parts that needed to be attached
6 could be deployed in minimum time

I also wanted a bow pulpit for safety and decided to integrate the pulpit with the mast raiser if possible. Here's what I came up with, an "A" frame as part of a pulpit...

895892

The pulpit is made of a 7/8" dia stainless tube inside a 1" dia thinwall tube with a 1/4-20 bolt setting the length. Aluminum should work as well, and even a single 8 ft long tube could work, although mine are 9.5 ft long. The two pulpit arms are hinged just forward of the chainplates and both attach to the ends of a short tube athwartships above the bow. This tube has a 1/4-20 female connector inside it and a bolt goes through each long tube and into the short tube and threads into the connector. A piece of wood attaches to the short tube which protects the spinnaker from the exposed bolt heads and tube ends, and adds a bit of structure to the structure. On the outside of the short tube are two 7/8" pipe "T's" which attach to two vertical stanchions. The connection of the "T's" to the stanchions does not have the set-crews installed so the "A" frame (the 9.5 ft tubes and the short tube) may be easily removed from the stanchions and deployed to give a leverage arm on the mast. There is a 4::1 block and tackle with a cam cleat from the short tube to the bow.

The mast hinge is not the normal Dwyer tabernacle, I destroyed two of them due to the hinge being 26" above the partners and so had to design something stronger...

1084

This tabarnackle retains the mast's strength and bending modality and doesn't break or bend if the mast drops by accident (but good luck with your Windex).

I have a boom gallows that receives the boom and mast when it's down (the mast sticks out over the transom quite a bit so I tie an orange PFD to the end). I've replaced the grizzled old wire cable forestay with Dyneema. I release the "A" frame purchase and stantion connections with a tug and pull it up vertical, then attach the forestay to the short tube. Pulling on the purchase raises the mast. It's about four 3' to 4' pulls, then I insert the safety bolt in the hinge which means the mast is being held up by it's step and the partners, the shrouds will tighten on a last short pull on the purchase. I let the "A" frame down and catch the stantions in the "T"'s. Done. I'd say that's about 2 minutes and just as fast to lower it.

There are several options from there: You can dial in the "A" frame connection locations and be done or you can deploy a furler or jib and release the purchase as I do when flying my UPS, otherwise I have to furl on each tack/jib.
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Postby ChrisB » Tue Aug 21, 2012 7:46 am

@Redtailseven,

A fellow trailer sailer here and I feel your pain. I have a one piece, deck stepped mast on my DS II. Lifting the mast upright has always been easy; I stick the lower end into the cuddy and use the cuddy roof as a fulcrum to stand the mast up. Lifting the entire mast the final 2 1/2 feet to the cuddy roof is the hard part. I always position my trailer such that the boat is facing into the wind as its harder for me to manage in a crosswind. I know it's a matter of time before I no longer have the strength to do this safely and I've been looking at other options. I like Greenlake's gizmo and I have also been considering a gin pole option like this:

http://www.sailsaratoga.org/content.asp ... e_id=67958
Chris B.
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Postby Hodmi » Tue Aug 28, 2012 8:50 pm

Thanks guys for the suggestions and for sharing your ideas.

I spent some time this weekend thinking about, and experimenting with, a better way to get the keel stepped mast up safely. I thought about installing a mast tabernacle; but Pegasus has made it 46 years without anyone cutting the mast and I can't bring myself to do it.

I also took a long look at GreenLake's rig. I started putting together a tripod, but frankly it was almost as unwieldy as the the mast was to begin with.

I really like the hinged mast sleeve, but I didn't want to permanently mount it to the deck (for the same reason I didn't want to cut the mast).

I came up with a version that I could mount with four ratchet straps connected to the trailer. The sleeve consists of two blocks of wood (glued up 2x4s) that are carved out to fit around the mast. There is a large door hinge that closes it around the mast.

I bolted on some angle iron and added a couple of large knobs so it holds tight against the mast. To keep the mast from sliding I lined the inside with some non-slip rubber.

1407

The whole sleeve is mounted to a 2x10 using a great bloody big heavy duty gate hinge. I carved out a bit of wood to fit in the mast hole so I can align the rig with the ratchet straps

1408

Along with a 3:1 block connected to the jib halyard the mast can be raised in a very controlled manner with just a little help from a second person (I need someone to loosen the knobs so the mast will drop gently the mast into the deck).

1406

I may add a gin pole later on, but this rig already makes a big difference.
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Postby GreenLake » Wed Aug 29, 2012 3:56 am

Interesting approach!

I entirely agree on the relative merits of hinge (big difference) vs. tripod (little difference) in general.

I really appreciated the tripod when I had back issues and was single-handing, perhaps having stayed out too long and dead tired. Those are the moments, where slowly rigging a tripod is easier than having three hands and a weight-lifter's physique (my tripod has 7:1 block and tackle, or was that 8:1).

However, in normal operation, having a sleeve is enough, and I don't even use a halyard, because once I've done it a few times a season, I do have the strength and control to just push the mast up when standing in the cockpit - and if you can do it, that's way faster than any other technique :)
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Postby Skippa » Wed Aug 29, 2012 7:34 am

Hodmi,
Like the concept and design on your rig. As I am usually alone when I step the mast I am thinking that extending the clamp assembly so that it attaches about 3 feet up the mast I could loosen the clamps once the mast is upright. Would probably need to strengthen the base attachment points but you have me thinking.
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Postby jdoorly » Wed Aug 29, 2012 9:47 pm

Good job implementing a temporary hinge/sleeve, not a simple thing to design! I can fore see future mods to improve single-handed use and set-up time but never-the-less an impressive effort!
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